J'Marie Posted April 22, 2008 Share Posted April 22, 2008 My son (8yrs old0 is taking suzuki violin lessons, but would also love to fiddle. We drive over 40 miles for lessons..and frankly with baby seven coming..we can't afford the gas..Anybody have recommendations for dvds that we could use to continue his studies? It doesn't have to be Suzuki..but i think he needs the visual, not just a book..Thanks j'marie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In The Great White North Posted April 22, 2008 Share Posted April 22, 2008 Towards the end of Book 1, dd (then 10) started playing Mel Bay's You Can Teach Yourself Fiddling. There are also easier fiddle books, but I wanted one that didn't look "babyish." I don't think there's a video but there is a CD. The best thing to do if he's wants to continue on his own, is to make sure he can read music, has tapes on his violin and get a tuner. Even if you find a good video. Dd has a video for the flute, but she hasn't found it too helpful. The video shows how to hold the flute and some fingering, but doesn't really teach how to play individual songs. Basically, the video was like the first two or three lessons. It's initial stuff that is used to play ALL songs, which he should know after a year of Suzuki. Is there a school nearer to you? I've known several high school students that gave violin lessons (not Suzuki) for not much more than baby-sitting. It's not as good as a "real" teacher, but it's better than a video. For us, the best thing about lessons was the "re-focusing effect" it had on the dc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shasta Mom Posted April 22, 2008 Share Posted April 22, 2008 well fiddling is done mostly by ear. So, you could use mp3's of fiddle tunes that you like and use,for example,the Amazing Slow-Downer software to slow the tunes down without changing the pitch so he can learn them that way. There are also an amazing amount of youtube videos out there on all aspects of violin and fiddling. I use the freeware of amazing slow downer which has some limitations, but you can buy the full software. Also, just keep going in any sheet music books so that he learns to read music...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacqui in mo Posted April 22, 2008 Share Posted April 22, 2008 Books from Ebaru publishing have violin books that could be self teaching. I'm not sure what book you'd start with but I'm sure you could skip the first couple. We've been using them here. It was also recommended in the WTM book. http://www.ebaru.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monk17 Posted April 22, 2008 Share Posted April 22, 2008 I found that's it's hard to self teach violin. Maybe you could cut down to 1 lesson a month and supplement it with some good resources. I would suggest a book by William Star, "The Suzuki Violinist" and also a series of books by Kerstin Wartberg called Step by Step. Neither of those have a video component. The Kerstin books have companion CD's and I've found them very helpful. We have a great violin teacher but it's nice to have someback up material. Thee is a lady down in St Petersburg Florida that sells a series on how to teach your child the vilon. I think it's called Ebaru Publishing. I just gave away the first three books, it didn't work out for me but otheres have had succes with it. The Farfield Fiddle Farm is a good book for beginning fiddlers. It has a companion CD but no DVD that I've heard of. There are several videos out there for fiddling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhonda in TX Posted April 22, 2008 Share Posted April 22, 2008 My kids take their lessons at the neighborhood high school with the private lesson teachers there. Call your local middle and/or high school orchestra department and see if they can recommend a local teacher. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J'Marie Posted May 1, 2008 Author Share Posted May 1, 2008 No Rhonda, we are in a small town..the only other person I could find was alomost three time the price..and with seven kids and four currently doing music lessons there was no stretching it. Again the other problem is travel..to get anywhere here is travel and between cost,distance and a lost day of working..we are trying to think of other alternatives..his base may be good enough he can use what others have recommended here, His ear is great! He does just sit there and start playing pieces he knows from church..but has never played before..and with out music...Thanks all I am looking into those resources,:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TracyR Posted May 1, 2008 Share Posted May 1, 2008 I know that Abeka has a video program for teaching violin . The name is escaping me . Also Ebaru has a self teaching program : http://www.ebaru.com/index2.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest AngelicViolins Posted April 24, 2012 Share Posted April 24, 2012 (edited) I have had tremendous success teaching more than 30 students just part time as a homeschooling mom. Just read the material and make regular use of the accompaniment CDs. No other violin training program comes close to this for training the ear and eyes for reading notes. I am supporting myself this way and am rewarded every time I sign up a new student, as the program is so easy to follow and uncomplicated; children grasp so well if parent trainer points to the letters with a pencil as they count and play. Violins can be tuned at a music store and Ebaru can tutor also. The first track of every CD is a tuning track. The key is to make the lessons seem like an exciting journey and to reward efforts with timely set up concerts for lonely neighbors, visiting grandmas & grandpas, nursing home residents, church, etc. Ebaru's Family Gospel set which includes a CD and 13 hymns actually gets them involved in string ensemble/music band groups when other young musicians are available at any learning stage. I am so thrilled that each child has an opportunity to grow not only musically but intellectually, through musical education. It's even better if piano training is in the picture. But it is not necessary. Achieve your best with music! Edited April 24, 2012 by AngelicViolins Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momto2blessings Posted April 25, 2012 Share Posted April 25, 2012 A mom on another forum rec. these: https://www.violinvirtuosity.com/products/dvd/volume-v-foundations-four-octave-scales Her kids took home awards at some sort of festival/competition after using this method. HTH some:) Gina Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiddle Posted April 25, 2012 Share Posted April 25, 2012 Hey! I play fiddle!!!! Well, I actually was also classically trained through Suzuki. Many of my fellow fiddle players all over the country will give virtual or online lessons! Some will write out music for the tunes (if your kid reads music) and some send tapes back and forth. With technology there are SO many options. Like the other poster said, lots of times you can slow down the tunes to learn by ear. I can hear that you are overwhelmed with baby coming, so don't stress about it! When I took lessons many years ago, there were no fiddle players within even about 4 hours, so I had to learn on my own mostly, with a few lessons here or there. The trick is to find what he likes and then motivate him;) Not sure what area you're in, but there are pockets of fiddle players all over- lurking in the shadow.:D Paula Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhotoGal Posted April 25, 2012 Share Posted April 25, 2012 Back when my son played violin, we bought a couple DVDs - I think they are called "Fiddle for Kids" and "Fiddle for Kids 2". :D They were really cute with a brother and sister teaching their little brother (and the viewer). Ds learned a few songs and really enjoyed it. He watched them quite a few times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donna Posted April 25, 2012 Share Posted April 25, 2012 Not sure how far your ds is with Suzuki violin or if Celtic is the type of fiddling he is interested in but my dd started fiddling by watching Kevin Burke's "How to Play Celtic Fiddle" DVDs and learning the tunes. She was 4yo and in Suzuki Book 1 at the time. Here's a link to the 1st... http://www.kevinburke.com/html_fiddlelessons.html He also has a 2nd which he sells on his website. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lailasmum Posted April 25, 2012 Share Posted April 25, 2012 There is a website called Violinstars that sells a home teaching dvd. I haven't personally used it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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